Police cripple two crime groups comprising students

SERDANG: Another two criminal groups made up of school boys were crippled in the Klang Valley – this time by Serdang police for motorcycle theft and robbery.
Serdang district police chief ACP Megat Mohd Aminuddin Megat Alias said acting on a tip-off and survelliances, a police team from the district CID traced the students who are aged between 15 and 18 before nabbing them at midnight on Saturday.
"We received a report from a man on the theft of a Honda EX-5 motorcycle in Section 11, Shah Alam and we launched an operation to locate the suspects involved under an operation codenamed "Ops Lejang","he told reporters at the Serdang district police headquarters here today.
Megat Mohd said following the arrest of the teenagers, police also recovered the missing motorcycle in Bukit Puchong the same day.
He said initial investigations revealed that the four teenagers were actively engaged in motorcycle theft in the area over the past several months and disposed the motorbikes at low prices.
"They sold the stolen motorbikes for between RM200 to RM500," he added.
He said the four youths in police custody under a remand order to facilitate investigations.
Megat Mohd said the case is being investigated under Section 379A(1) of the Penal Code.
In a separate case, the law also caught up with two other students who were part of a robbery gang of five that preyed on petrol stations and 24-hour convenience stores in Serdang.
Megat Mohd said the suspects who are aged between 17 and 29 were detained at separate locations here and in Terengganu in an operation held on Saturday and Sunday.
"We believe the gang known as Gang Penyu has been involved in 17 cases in Klang Valley since last year," he added.
He said the suspects will be remanded until today (Friday) for robbery and attempting to cause grievous hurt.
It is learnt the detained students are aged 17 and 18.
The younger teenager has previous records for drug-related offences and another case the Minor Offences Act 1955.
Police have expressed concern over the recent spike in crime cases involving wayward students especially in the Klang Valley and have formed special teams to address the issue.
Since late last month, more than 30 students from secondary schools and private colleges were held by Subang Jaya and Sungai Buloh police for drug related offences, assault and robbery.
Among them was a girl who together with four accomplices used her father's car to pull off robberies at convenience stores with a fake pistol.